Art of transforming wood.



OFFICE.-

WILLIAM AUGUSTUS HALL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ART OF TRANSFORMING WOOD.

No Drawing.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application fil ed January 25, 1909. Serial No. 474,056.

Patented Sept. '7, 1909.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I WILLIAM 'A. HALL, a citizen. of the United states, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented or discovered certain new and useful Improvements in the ArtofiTransforming \Vood, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the art of transforming or coloring-wood for the purpose of producing from some of the cheaper woods, such as maple or white and yellow blrch, products resembling higher priced woods, such as black cherry black walnut or mahogany; and the invention comprises certain improvements on the invention covered by my U. S. Patent No. 891,987, June 30, 1908,

The invention or discovery setforth in my said patent had for its object, in transformmg wood, not only to color, but also to harden or vulcanize-the same, and consists in treating the wood, at high temperatures of over 212 F. with certain alkaline solutions. It has been found, however, that, for certain purposes,it is objectionable to harden or vulcanize the wood in the coloring operation, particularly the heart portions'of the wood; as it increases the tendency of-the wood to warp, check or crack and the pres-. ent invention or discovery has for its object to prevent the wood from being hardened or vulcanized, to any considerable extent, when being treated, at the high temperatures desirable, with a coloring alkaline solution the astringent action of which, when treated at such high temperatures, has a tendency to harden o1" vulcanize the wood; and this object is effected by using saccharine matter in the alkaline coloring solution, such saccha rine matter olfse-ttin the hydrolytic or astringentgaction of the "alkali on the wood cellulose. y

In carrying the invention into effect wood is immersed 1n an alkaline coloring solution containing about ten per cent. of saccharine matter, preferably ordinary commercial molasses; although any of the cheaper varieties of brown sugar or other saccharine matter may be employed if desired. The wood to be transforemd and colored with the alkaline coloring solution containing \saccharine matter will preferably be treated by the vacuum and pressure process, particularly when dark colors are desired, although the alkaline-saccharine coloring matter may be forced into and throughout the wood simply at a temperature by boiling the latter under pressure in the solution and without the vacuum treatment. \Vhen treating the wood in an alkaline solution containing saccharine matter by the vacuum and pressure process the .wood, placed in a closed cylinder or other suitable receptacle, will first be subjected to a vacuum of about 25 inches to. withdraw the air therefrom, and the alkaline-saccharine coloring solution will then be admitted to the chamber of the receptacle and a suitable pressure applied to force the solution into and throughout the w boiled for several hours under pressure and preferably above 220 F., because alkaline solutions at low temperatures, and not containing foreign coloring matter, have very little coloring effect on' lumber. For very dark colors a boiling temperature of about 265 F. will be preferable. In thus treating the woods at these high temperatures the alkaline saccharine solution will be very penetrative, and will so permeate the heart portions of the wood as to color such heart shades than the sap portions, which is contrary to the usual effect in treating woods with solutions containing forei n coloring matter in solution, which it is difl i cult for the heart wood portions to absorb, and which is readily dialyzed from the solution, the heart a higher dialyzing efiect than wood having the sapwood In coloring any light-colored, woods to dark colors, with a View of imitating black walnut, mahogany, etc., it is desirable to have the heart portions darker than the sap portions; for the reason that it is so in the natural woods; but in all other methods of coloring wood heretofore practiced the sap portions of the wood have always been colored darker than the heart portions thereof, which is a reversal of the appearance produced by nature, and is therefore more or less undesirable.

The effect of the saccharine matter in the alkaline solution is to keep the ligneous matter of the wood soft and pliable; this being due to the fact that the saccharine matter counteracts the astringent or hydrolytic action of the alkaline solution. Thus wood which has been transformed and colored/ by the process above described with an alkaline coloring solution containing saccharine matter, may be rendered very dark and rich in color without being, when dried, lllllCll (if portions to darker ood which will then preferably be portions of any) harder or more dense than when in its natural condition.

Having thus described my invention or discove I, claim and desire to secure by Letters atent:

1. The herein-described transformed 'wood colored to a darker shade than its natural condition and containing saccharine and alkaline matter. v

2. The herein-described process of transforming or coloring wood consisting in permeating the wood throughout with a solution containing saccharine and alkaline col: oring matter and by which process the heart the wood are colored to darker shades than the sap portions of the wood.

3. The herein described process of transforming wood, consisting in treating the same at ahigh temperature with an alkaline solution containing saccharin, and which solution is caused to permeate the wood throughout. I

4, The herein described process of transforming or coloring wood, consisti'n in boiling the same un er pressure an at temperatures above 220 F. in an alkaline colorin solution containing saccharine matter, and which solution is caused to permeate the wood, throughout.

- Intestimon whereof I aflix my in presence 0 two witnesses.

VILLIAM AUGUSTUS-HALL.

Witnesses:

ELVA D. FoLLn'r'r,

H. FRACTER.

signature, 

